UNP parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake charged today that the government was selling every inch of land to foreigners according to its whims and fancies and said even the sea was being sold to China.

 “The government is going to sell a 568-acre sea area to China through the ports authority. It is expected to spend 182 billion to fill the sea bed to develop a city when there is enough land in Colombo. Who is doing this for what reason when the people in Weliweriya are fighting for drinking water? About 6.5 acres of la

The teachers serving in schools in the Western Province, whose students failed to secure favourable results in the Year 5 scholarship examination and the GCE Ordinary Level examination, will come under scrutiny by the Provincial Education Authorities, the Chief Minister and Provincial Education Minister of the Western Province, Prasanna Ranatunga, said.

High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Dr. Chris Nonis held a launch event at the Sri Lanka High Commission in London to promote the Commonwealth Business Forum to be held in Colombo from 12-14 November 2013, leading up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013.
Dr. Nonis said that Sri Lanka is a microcosm of the Contemporary Commonwealth and was one of the eight founder member Nations of the modern Commonwealth.

Britain has expressed concerns over the incidents which took place in Weliweriya last week.

UK Foreign Office Minister, Alistair Burt said he noted with “serious concern” emerging reports of the violent disruption of peaceful protests by the Sri Lankan security forces in Weliweriya, in which at least 3 people died.

“My thoughts are with the families of those who were killed or injured,” he said.

Burt urged the authorities to ensure the right to peaceful protest is protected and to e

Sri Lankan authorities must urgently initiate an effective  investigation into this tragic incident. The investigation must be independent, impartial and conducted with the professionalism, resources and powers necessary to unearth the truth about this incident. The army cannot be seen to investigate itself. Anything less will send the message that using  excessive force against protesters is permitted.”
Sri Lanka is legally bound by international human rights treaties to respect and protect the right to life, and pr

Foreign Minister G L Peiris will be visiting New Delhi later this month, the New Indian Express reported.

Sources said that Peiris will be heading to Delhi for a day-long visit on August 18, with the invitation letter for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo from November 15 to 17.

While sources did not say if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will accept it, there was indication that the decision to participate will be taken later.

It will depend on a

The horrible military killings at Ratupaswala are nothing but mean and horrible killings. Nothing in the military terminology or strategic manuals could ever justify the horrible acts that happened at Rathupaswala. If there is some decency left in the military establishment in Sri Lanka, the first step that should be taken is to arrest the commanding officers who were in charge of these brutal acts of murder and the assaults committed at Rathupaswala. Nothing less than the immediate arrest of the commanding officers would demonstrate tha

Issuing a communique, Civil Society Organisation, the Center for Policy Alternatives notes that incidents of killing unarmed citizens, are tragic and shameful reminders of the collapse of rule of law in the country, and most importantly, of the mind-set of the government in respect of the exercise of democratic rights by its citizens.

The Centre for Policy Alternatives notes that the incident in Weliweriya, was not the first instance in post-war Sri Lanka, of unarmed citizens exercising their democratic right to protest, being

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), which has launched a probe into the incident that took place in Weliweriya, has asked the Army to share with the Commission, the findings of the inquiry ordered by the Army Commander into the incident. HRCSL yesterday also summoned representatives of the Army, Police and 24 other public institutions and civil society groups to a meeting at the Commission.

The protest by area residents over ground water contamination in Rathupaswela, Weliweriya, turned violent on Thursday

It is said that Director General of Agricultural Insurance Board (AIB) that handles the farmers' pension scheme has failed to appear before the Human Rights Commission (HRC).

 When a petition filed by a farmers' association on the nonpayment of the farmer's pension was taken up for hearing.

The director general was cited as the respondent in the complaint filed in May by 59 farmers who are recipients of the pension. They complained that the pension paymts due to them have not been paid by the authori